Snowdrops
by cutxpaste
Summary: Detective Anna Christensen and her partner Hans Isles are tasked to find a mysterious killer shaking up the Arendelle PD. The Snowdrop Killer using ice as their murder weapon and a snowdrop as their calling card is playing a dangerous game with the rich and powerful. (SerialKiller!AU)
1. Case 01: Hope(less)

**A/N: no. why…**

* * *

**CASE 01: Hope(less)**

_All things truly wicked start from innocence._

_\- Ernest Hemmingway_

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**_THE SNOWDROP KILLER STRIKES AGAIN!_**

_At 6:30am Monday morning, a body was found at the North Mountain Ice Rink by employee Kenny Stevens. While the details of the murder have yet to be disclosed Commissioner Oaken has confirmed that it was the work of the infamous Snowdrop Killer. Previous to this the Snowdrop Killer has three other victims: Olsen Tudyk, Gregor Lundberg and Matias Weselton. _

_There is still no news on the abduction of previous lead detectives Hans Isles and Anna Christensen…_

Anna threw away the paper unable to read anymore. She knew who was dead and didn't even know if could bring herself to care. When Commissioner Oaken opened up that hatch Anna was so glad to be alive. So glad that it was his face she saw and not that cold, faceless mask of the killer.

His strong arms were more than enough to lift her out of that decrepit, dank, hell that was her cell for the past few days. The only way she could get out was through the ice rink. She'd seen many dead bodies during her years as a beat cop and detective. Each scene filled her with various levels of disgust and horror. But this time… this time a different feeling coursed through her veins.

Justice.

There impaled by ice, forced onto his knees, heart in cupped hands and body pinned in eternal submission was her partner.

Hans Isles.

* * *

**6 WEEKS PRIOR**

A shrill ring cut through the room causing a mass of blankets and hair to rise out of the bed like a zombie. Yawning the ginger clumsily reached for the ringing phone beside her.

"You've got Christensen."

"Anna? Are you awake?" She frowned before attempting to disentangle herself from her sheets.

"No Hans, you're speaking to my voicemail, please leave a message after the- oh shit!"

Anna was sprawled on the floor, the very blankets that tripped her falling haphazardly around her. Groaning she quickly untangled the sheets and picked up the fallen phone. The laughter did nothing to improve her mood.

"Did you just fall out of bed?"

"Shut up Hans." There was a chuckle on the other end.

"We've got a case, very hush, hush. Be ready in ten and dress warm."

She glared at her phone in a vain attempt that it could somehow transmit her foul mood to her partner. It was way too early to be awake but murderers and psychopaths never really followed nine to five working hours.

—

Anna, wearing a light coat, was standing outside of her apartment complex when Hans drove in. She quickly got inside taking the offered cup as put her seatbelt on. She felt a little more human when the taste of chocolate and coffee hit her mouth.

"What are we dealing with?" she asked.

"A multiple homicide- but get this, cause of death? Ice."

"Wait, what? _Ice_? It's the middle of summer!"

"Yeah, one of the reasons why the Commissioner wants to keep this investigation quiet. This isn't your typical murder."

The information swirled around her mind, speculations churning her stomach. Anna agreed something about this case didn't sit right.

"Where we headed?"

"Fractal Towers."

Nodding Anna focused on the road a companionable silence filling the car. It didn't take long to get there the sun was just beginning to rise and there was hardly any traffic. Fractal Towers was a looming structure dwarfing those around it, boasting 102 floors. Of course the murders themselves just had to occur at the topmost floor.

A brief sense of vertigo later and Detectives Christensen and Isles entered the crime scene.

"Fuck it's freezing!" Anna exclaimed Hans smirked as he tugged on his winter coat.

"Told ya."

"Detectives!" Cried an officer, "Officer Cole Regan first responder."

"Detectives Isles and Christensen, this crime scene has been locked off right? Commissioner Oaken wanted no information leaked to the press."

"Yessir it's been done."

"Good." Anna cut in, "Isles here will talk to the witness, if you could take me to the body Officer Regan?"

"Of course, right this way."

Hans and Anna shared a nod before parting ways. With his easy smile and charm Hans was always the better candidate to talk to shocked witnesses. Anna could get a little… volatile at times. Weaving through forensics and CSIs Anna took in the sight before her.

Two men were impaled upon spikes of ice facing each other across the room a gun in their hand. The ice went right through their body and out through their mouth. Some type of flower sprouted from their breast pockets. Each body was missing an arm but their spare was aimed at an ice sculpture in the middle. The sculpture was of a pregnant woman fondly holding her belly; the crystal clear ice was beautiful.

Anna needed more information and spotted the coroner, Olaf Ludwig, coming her way.

"Hey Olaf, what do we have?"

Olaf himself was a short but thin man with scraggly brown hair; large glasses perched on his unfortunately crooked nose. He approached Anna with a beaming smile and opens his arms for a hug. The coroner of Arendelle Police was eccentric to say the least but undoubtedly the best in his field.

"Anna!" he cried before engulfing the detective in a strong hug, "You would not _believe_ what I found!"

The strawberry blonde let loose a chuckle, "I'm sure I'll be amazed."

"The one on the left," a man whose sideburns almost rivaled Hans', "Gregor Lundberg, 28, and the other guy is Olsen Tudyk, 32. Their cause of death? Impalement. And- judging by the blood patterns these guys didn't go through the icicle, the icicle went through them!"

"What? That's impossible." The icicles were thick and tall, easily lifting the bodies off the floor, how could one just summon the ice from the ground?

"Yeah well, that's what the evidence is telling me. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. You see these bodies are frozen solid. Their blood hasn't even drained out yet! It's as if they were doused in liquid nitrogen, they're in perfect condition-"

Anna's eyes widened, "They're frozen at the exact moment of their death…"

"Huh? Yeah, they could be. But their missing arms were done post-freeze see-" Olaf gestured to the smooth laceration, "cut right through and no evidence of bleeding."

"Can you determine a time of death?"

"It depends on what they were frozen with." Seeing Anna's confused look he continued, "If liquid nitrogen was used it'd take around 3-4 hours for them to thaw. But I don't think that was the case," Olaf scratched his head, "it's already been an hour since I've been here and there is absolutely no evidence of thawing."

"This case keeps on getting weirder and weirder." Seeing Hans coming over Anna quickly asked one last question, "Know anything about the flowers?"

"Nope."

Anna shrugged, "Worth a shot. I'll see you later Olaf."

Olaf grinned before hurrying off. For some reason the cheerful coroner had a strange aversion to her partner. Whenever Anna tried to ask Olaf the coroner would just clam up. Hans hadn't a clue either. They both just chalked it up to one of Olaf's eccentricities. Once Anna finished relaying the information Hans added his own.

"Well our witness can confirm that our victims are wearing the same clothes from yesterday. So we can assume they were killed late last night or early in the morning. She came in early today because of an important meeting between Weselton Trading Corp. and the Southern Federation."

"Sounds big."

"Sounds like motive."

Anna nodded in agreement before focusing on the scene.

"Got anything?" Hans asked.

Anna was young for a detective; at 26 she was the youngest homicide detective at the precinct. Yet her tenacity and observational skills helped her rise through the ranks and earn her badge. Anna made connections quicker than anyone Hans knew; she was invaluable to the force, invaluable as a partner.

"Yeah, you and Gregor over here probably go to the same hair dresser."

But still a brat sometimes.

"So funny princess." Anna shot her partner a smirk before continuing her inspection.

"Sideburns and Grumpy Cat here became human shish kebabs before they lost their arms. Don't know what our killer wants with those yet, trophies maybe. But the guns… they're different, put on after they were killed. Frozen to their hands. These flowers too, they're…"

The drooping flower looked familiar. Childhood memories, vague and ephemeral, fogged her mind.

"Snowdrops." Anna whispered.

"Sorry I didn't catch that," said Hans. Anna's brows furrowed as she inspected the flower, it was wilted, crushed.

"The flowers are snowdrops, flowers that bloom in the cold, they mean-"

Anna's eyes widened and she turned striding to the ice sculpture in the middle of the room, Hans scrambling after her. Anna bent down to study the belly of the crystal clear sculpture. There in the womb of the sculpture was a snowdrop.

"Hope. Snowdrops mean hope."

Anna quickly stepped back, stopping when she could fully see the scene. Hans sighed, when his partner got like this nothing could get through to her. But he followed her anyway, trying to find the pattern so glaringly obvious to the strawberry blonde.

"Since when did you become a florist?" she ignored him as expected, leaving Hans to cross his arms and wait.

"Hans."

"What?"

"This is a message." Anna got out her notepad furiously writing notes, "Run a background check on these men, they're not as innocent as they seem. Check the guns as well, they're probably unregistered and linked to a cold case. Most likely one involving a pregnant woman's death."

She snapped her head up and begun pacing around the sculpture.

"What was this for you?"

* * *

This was retribution.

These men in their tailor suits and obnoxiously maintained facial hair were living a guiltless life. But their hands were stained with the blood of innocents. Their suits built upon the bodies of 'lesser beings'. Their status and standing gained through stabbed backs and lies.

These men did not deserve to live.

Not when they shot Marina down in cold blood. Not when they killed both her and the life she carried. Justice had been robbed.

This was retribution.

This was vengeance.

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**A/N: Uh yeah so serial killer AU anyone? I tried really hard not to write this but this idea was literally stopping me from doing any other type of work so it just had to come out. This was very rushed and I have no beta so um, some feedback would be like rad cool…**

**Thanks for reading! **


	2. Case 02: First Step

**CASE 02: First Step**

_"A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." - Laozi_

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Anna glared at the screen before her, the faces of Mr. Lundberg and Tudyk staring back. After running the guns and prints through the system, several cold cases were suddenly reopened and consequentially solved. Mr. Lundberg &amp; Tudyk were convicted of several crimes posthumously. It disgusted her to think that these men had remained free for so long.

She knew that the bright optimism she started out with had been sufficiently tempered, but her hunger for good to triumph over evil hadn't. Some people needed to be put behind bars, and Anna was happy to be the person to do it.

Rubbing her eyes, Anna picked up a random case file and scoured through the contents. She and Hans were trying to find the case that the murderer so eloquently staged.

"You owe me a sandwich Christensen!" Han's exclaimed before hurriedly making his way to Anna's desk, a manilla folder in hand.

"No fucking way, you found it?"

"We're going to Barry's." he said with a smirk.

"Son of a bitch." Anna groaned. Barry's was their favourite albeit pricy cafe and Hans being the dick he was would probably order the most expensive thing on the menu.

"May 12th 2002: There was a drive by shooting resulting in two deaths and multiple wounds, the two victims being Thomas Thatcher and Marina Delaney. Mrs. Delaney was 20 weeks into her pregnancy when both she and her child were killed..."

His eyes scanned the document, eyebrows slowly raising in surprise. He let out a little huff as he closed the folder, handing it to Anna. The strawberry blonde gave her partner a once over before grabbing the document, "What is it?"

Hans sighed, "I remember this"

"You would've been like 18." Anna scoffed.

"Yeah, Mrs. Delaney was an art teacher at my old high school..." Hans said with a grimace.

Anna blinked, then quickly scoured the document.

Name: Marina Delaney (neè Brown)

D.O.B: 18/5/71

Occupation: Teacher

Employer: Arendelle School of Higher Learning

"Y-you went to Arendelle prep?! You?" Anna guffawed, then thought about how Hans always held himself, that perfect posture and charming grin so uncommon in their co-workers, "Wait, that actually makes a lot of sense."

Hans rolled his eyes.

"Woah, woah, woah! Easy on the eyes there buddy! Your partner here had to slum it with the rest of the commoners in public school. Now I need to see photographic evidence. I have to see a little bitty Hans Isles in those high socks, shorts, and blazer."

"No," Hans said with a glare. "Absolutely not."

—

The Delaney house was situated on the outskirts of the city, surrounded by the nature that embraced Arendelle. The little split-level house was quaint, featuring it's own water mill. Mr. Delaney had moved back into his family home after his daughter graduated from high-school. It seemed like the perfect place for a retiree to live out the rest of his days.

Hans pulled up next to the Camry parked in the driveway. Silently the pair made their way to the rustic wooden door.

"This is the ADPD; we'd like to speak to Mr. Delaney." He said after knocking.

A muffled "Just a minute!" made its way to their ears before the door was hastily opened. A brunette, early twenties, opened the door, her hair swept back in a messy pony tail.

"How can I help you officers?" Her voice was soothing, brown eyes shined with curiosity. The pair quickly flashed their badges.

"Detective Isles and Christensen, is Mr. Delaney available? We've recently had a breakthrough with a string of cold cases and have some news for him." At the lady's furrowed brows Hans quickly added, "All good things I assure you." To further assure her, Hans put on his patented charming smile.

"Does this have to do with my mother's death?" asked the brunette, seemingly unfazed by Hans' attempts to placate her. Anna smirked, so there were people immune to the 'Isle's Charm' as Hans liked to call it.

"We've recently uncovered vital evidence instrumental in finding your mother's killer. We imagine your father would be inclined to hear what we have to say." Anna said questioningly.

Brown eyes cut into blue, evaluating what was before her. Slowly the lady nodded, opening the door fully and ushering the detectives in.

"Yes of course please come in."

As the brunette lead them through the house Anna took in her surroundings. The home had a cluttered but homey feel to it. Papers were strewn haphazardly across various surfaces, mugs and coffee rings stains littered across the house. The brunette lead the detectives to the living room, plush green couches available to sit. The living room was noticeably cleaner than the rest of the house. Anna spied a still steaming cup of tea next to an open book on the coffee table.

"Please make yourselves comfortable. I'll get my father." Hans nodded and the brunette left.

Anna stalked the room as Hans settled into one of the couches. Above the fireplace was a curious piece of work. A painting adorned the mantle. It featured an aggressive mix of shades of purple. It evoked a myriad of emotions from the detective, anguish, confusion and a debilitating feeling of hopelessness. Anna shook her head, banishing the emotions before moving around the room once more.

There was a smack of wood then a loud crash.

"Papa!"

Energised, Anna quickly made her way to the cry, skidding to a stop in the kitchen. A portly, balding man was sprawled on the floor, absently kneading his back. Belle hovered worriedly around him.

"Papa, I told you to be more careful."

A wheezing chuckle, "Now, now, Belle don't fret. These bones of mine just aren't as sprightly as I remember."

Belle merely pouted in reply.

Anna smiled, "Would you like some help there, Mr. Delaney?"

Bushy eyebrows shot up; Mr. Delaney studied Anna with curious brown eyes. He seemed to consider the offer before waving it away.

"I'll be fine young lady."

Anna frowned. She was well aware of her baby face and innocent looks, but she was a detective dammit!

Gripping the nearby counter, Mr. Delaney lifted himself up. Belle watching hawkishly. He dusted himself off before moving forward. Suddenly he faltered letting out of shout of surprise. Anna was there in a flash, arms smoothly scooping up Mr. Delaney's falling form. A heartbeat later, Belle was on the other side supporting him.

"I think those bones of yours need a little time to uh- perk?" Anna looked to Belle who merely shrugged, "up Mr. Delaney."

The elder man made motions to object before Belle quickly cut in.

"Papa, please; this is not a time to be stubborn."

"Is everything alright?" came Hans' voice before he entered the room.

"Everything is fine! I merely wanted two beautiful ladies on my arm." Mr. Delaney said before letting out a boisterous laugh.

"Papa!" Belle said scandalised, burning red. Neither Hans or Anna could quite hold back a smile at the sight.

Slowly they made their way to the living room, gently depositing Mr. Delaney on a chair. Anna and Hans took opposite seats while Belle darted off to the kitchen to make tea. The pair patiently waited for Mr. Delaney to get settled before diving into the reason of their visit. Always the charmer, Hans opened up the conversation.

"Mr. Delaney, as you know Detective Christensen and I are from the ADPD. We have some news for you."

"Yes, yes Belle told me everything."

"Good." Hans leaned forward, his green eyes serious. "Recent evidence has come up that convicts Gregor Lundberg and Olsen Tudyk as the men responsible for your wife's death."

Mr. Delaney's jaw twitched and hands clenched. His previously mellow disposition transformed into one of barely withheld indignation and disgust.

"And where are these… bastards?" He growled.

"They're currently in our custody." Hans replied. Anna barely stopped herself from looking at him, the omission of the deaths surely served some higher purpose.

Mr. Delaney shot up from his chair, short stature trembling with rage, "Let me see them. Let me see the men who ripped my family apart!"

Hans held up his hands, a futile gesture to calm the old man down, "Mr. Delaney I'm afraid tha-"

Anna noticed Belle entering the room.

"Afraid?" he asked incredulously. "Detective, ever since my wife was murdered I've lived afraid for what's left of my family!"

"So you've known this entire time that your wife's death was not by accident?" Green eyes flashed with triumph.

Mr. Delaney let out a garbled cry.

"What I know is that you can't offer us any protection!"

Belle slammed down her tray, stunning everyone into silence.

"Papa," Belle said with barely concealed frustration, "Please sit down."

Looking properly chastised, Mr. Delaney sat down with a thump. Hans and Anna watched on, curiousity peaked at the sudden change of the brunette's temperament. With a practiced level of finesse Belle set out the cups to their respective drinkers. Anna noticed two white pills sitting on the saucer given to Mr. Delaney.

"You must forgive my father. He gets quite grumpy when he doesn't have his tea."

There was a forced moment of silence as they all drank. Tension thickening. Mr. Delaney took a deep breath.

"Detective Isles, you must understand that my wife's violent and needless death had resulted in a great deal of fear to my family." He retreated deeper into his seat, staring down Hans under grizzled eyebrows, "That time in our lives was one wrought with paranoia. A paranoia that has never really gone away."

Belle who was standing somewhat awkwardly behind the chair, hands cupped around her mug, took to looking at the artwork above the mantle.

"So, please know that my words were spoken rashly."

Hans locked gazes with Mr. Delaney as he hunched forward.

"Mr. Delaney, your wife's killers were found dead a few days ago." Brown eyes widened, "Can you please tell us your whereabouts from 10pm on Wednesday the 6th to 4am on Thursday?"

"I was here sleeping."

Belle's eyes flicked towards Hans.

"It's true. After I got Papa to bed, I stayed up till around 1am before going to sleep."

Hans quickly took note of the information.

"That was only a rudimentary question Mr. Delaney," Hans said in hopes to placate the seemingly irate man. "I meant you no disrespect."

Hans shifted in his seat, his body language remaining open, "I will be asking you a few more questions. Since you have motive, I am required to follow you up." He lifted up a hand before Mr. Delaney could speak, "I do not believe you are guilty, Mr. Delaney, but these are procedures I must adhere to."

Mr. Delaney frowned, looking at Hans warily. Suddenly he exhaled deeply, his moustache hairs bristling at the force.

"Very well, proceed," He said with tired eyes.

As Hans began his questioning, Belle moved into action, picking up the mess of mugs on the table.

"Here, let me help you with that," Anna said softly but firmly, not to distract Hans or Mr. Delaney from their conversation.

Belle looked to Anna in surprise and, acknowledging the detective's tone, did not argue.

Anna quickly swiped up her and Hans' mugs before following the brunette into the kitchen, allowing her more sociable partner breathing room to question Mr. Delaney. That left her with Belle. Divide and conquer as Caesar would say. She would just have to find an 'in', something to get the conversation going with Belle.

"That artwork above your mantle. It's beautiful."

"Are you an art enthusiast Detective?"

Anna blushed lightly, "Would it surprise you if I said yes? I know that art and police work don't exactly go hand in hand but it's something I love. I could spend days wandering museums and galleries. I'm partial to the neoclassical movement myself, but I don't let that stop me from enjoying all movements and styles."

Anna took note of Belle's bemused look.

"Oh sorry I'm rambling, aren't I?"

"Yes but I don't mind."

"I uh- tend to lose myself when I'm talking about art…" Anna said sheepishly, fighting the urge to rub the back of her neck.

"No, don't be sorry." Belle said softly, a wistful look spreading across her face, "My mother used to ramble on like that…Iit's nice to hear that again."

Boom. Go Anna, you got your 'in'!

"Is that one of your mother's paintings then?"

"One of her student's actually."

Anna didn't bother holding back her surprise, "Really?"

Belle smiled at her expression.

"Really. It was a gift to us after my mother's death. Many students thought the same, but that one was special. It spoke to us…" Belle shook her head slightly before adopting a droll expression, "The student became quite famous actually, calls herself Isabelle Quinn."

Anna felt her jaw drop.

"No. Way."

There a slight pause, Anna processing the information, before she let out a barrage of words.

"You've got a painting done by the infamous- secretive- Isabelle Quinn hanging in your mantle place. I can't believe it. I can't believe it." Anna began pacing distractedly, "I was staring at one of Isabella Quinn's early works! The Isabella Quinn! Calm yourself down Anna, I mean it's not like she's the freaking goddess of modern abstract expressionism right now. Or that she's-"

Belle couldn't contain herself any longer and laughed in delight. Anna immediately stopped and turned bright red.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry I did it again."

"You really do lose yourself don't you?"

Anna shrugged helplessly, "Told ya…"

They let the silence settle between them. Belle studying her shoes with obvious indecision. The brunette had felt a sense of camaraderie between them, leading to some level of trust. She bit her lip. Brown eyes pierced blue. Anna tilted her head, a silent 'what'. Coming to a decision Belle moved towards the table, grabbing a scrap of paper and writing something across it.

"My father doesn't like talking about the events surrounding my mother's death. He- he's never really recovered from it." Belle leant against the table, "I've always thought that there was something more to my mother's death. That it wasn't an accident but… targeted. I once told my suspicions to Papa and he… he wasn't too happy about it. So I've never investigated further. But there was someone else who shared my views."

Belle chewed on her lip before thrusting out her hand, "Here."

Anna took the offered scrap of paper, noting the address was in the wealthier part of the city.

"She investigated a bit further but couldn't find anything conclusive. Hopefully she still has the information somewhere. She's moves around quite a lot, but she should be staying at that address until next week. She's a bit of a recluse, so make sure you tell her Belle sent you or you might not get let in." Belle said apprehensively.

Anna nodded once before pocketing the paper.

"Go before the next week ends. Say your name. Ask for files."

Belle gave a firm nod. Before Anna could question Belle further, Hans voice echoed from the living room.

"Anna, we're leaving!"

With a burst of energy, Anna quickly made her way to the doorway where Hans and Mr. Delaney were already waiting, Belle trailing behind her. Mr. Delaney opened the door for them and allowed the pair to step through. Hans put on a winning smile.

"Thank you for your time Mr. Delaney."

"Detectives," Came Mr. Delaney's gruff reply.

Then the door slammed in their faces.

Anna giggled at the shocked look on Hans' face. The surprise was quickly replaced with a scowl as they trudged back to their car. Anna continued to smile at Hans' despondent look.

"What a crazy old man!" Hans said as soon as they entered the car.

"Guess the Isles' charm doesn't work on everyone," Anna remarked.

Hans put his arm at the back of Anna's chair as he backed out, their eyes locking for a moment.

"I only need it to work on beautiful women," he countered with a wink. Anna rolled her eyes in response.

"Belle didn't seem that affected by it," she said with a smirk.

Han's shrugged, his attention on the road. "What did you two do anyway while I was questioning her dad?"

"Oh!" Anna quickly took out the scrap of paper, "Belle told me she knew someone who could help us. We're going to 44 Highland Street."

Hans nodded, "So who are we meeting?"

Anna flipped over the piece of paper.

"Someone called Elsa Andersen."

* * *

**A/N: A huge thank you to Kaylee Alice Harman who is my beta, you're the best. Would love what to hear what you all thought about this chapter. Next up, Elsa!**

**Thanks for reading!**


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